


Konane and Ares

by wingsofanillyrian



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: ACOTAR - Freeform, ACOWAR, Angst, Character Death, Suicide mention, acomaf, pre acotar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 15:23:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14115264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsofanillyrian/pseuds/wingsofanillyrian
Summary: Cassian shares a dark part of his past.





	Konane and Ares

**Author's Note:**

> MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND CHARACTER DEATHS.
> 
> If you'd like to read more about Konane and Ares, let me know.

I entered the dimly lit tavern, seeking shelter from the crying skies. A quick glance told me that I was the only patron, which I supposed was a good thing. I shook out my cloak, lowering my hood as I stalked to the bar.

“You look like you could use a drink,” the barkeep said, setting down the glass she’d been cleaning. I nodded, slumping into a seat and pushing my dripping hair back from my eyes.

“Woah, that’s a nasty looking scar.” She set a mug of ale in front of me, eyeing the thick scar slashing though my brow. I wasn’t surprised she’d noticed. It usually flared an angry red on the days leading up to April 19th. “How’s one get a scar like that?”

“It’s a long story.”

She looked around the bar, a tiny smile playing on her lips. “I’ve got time.”

Maybe it was the day. Maybe it was the grief that I had kept bottled up for years, but either way, I told her my story.

“I had been the Commander for less than twenty years when I was assigned to Devon’s camp for the first time. I was making my rounds at the camp, really still learning the ropes when I first met them. I was impressed when I saw them in the training pits- their dynamic was incredible.

“Konane and Ares were bastard twins, born centuries ago. Beautiful boys-they were quite the pair. Their strikingly red hair was a beacon, begging for trouble.” I paused, a slight smile on my lips. “Konane was the ice to Ares’ fire. Ares never let his brother forget that he was a whole three minutes older. Konane, on the other hand, would always poke fun at Ares for having a wingspan two inches shorter than his own.

“The two fiery-haired males were inseparable, like two peas in a pod. They did everything together; rarely did you see one without the other. But they were bastards like I am, and none of the high-born children wanted anything to do with them. So I took them under my wing, literally and figuratively.

“I trained those two to be a fierce, passionate pair of fighters that played off each other’s strengths and weaknesses to protect one another. They gained an edge over their peers, emerging from the woods after their Right virtually unscathed, and I couldn’t have been prouder.” I took a long sip from my mug, trying to numb myself for what came next.

“And then… There was the First War.“

I swore the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees, chilling me to the marrow of my bones.

“Konane and Ares had always been strong-willed and fueled by adrenaline. They got their kicks from fighting each other without restraint, often to the point that I had to step in before someone lost a limb. I can’t say I was surprised to hear that they’d defied the orders I’d given them to remain out of harm’s way.” I frowned, running my finger through the ring of sweat surrounding my glass.

“One of my generals told me that the two had insisted to be stationed on the front lines, and he’d let them go. I didn’t even pause to scream at him before I took to the skies, hunting for the boys. I flew over the battlefield as fast as my wings would carry me.

“It didn’t take long for me to spot the orange hair, glinting in the noontime sun. They were fighting back to back, just as I’d taught them, but they were surrounded on all sides. I knew right then that they didn’t have much chance at survival. And the soldier… He came out of nowhere.

“One moment Ares was slicing own every opponent in his path, and the next… He was lying face down on the blood-flecked battlefield, a sword sliced clean through his torso. I can still see the scarlet stain seeping through the Illyrian leathers. I can still hear his brother’s scream ringing in my ears, piercing above the clash of steel. I let loose, levelling everyone around them in a blind rage.” My Siphons flared a deadly red at the memory of pain that had ripped through me.

“When I landed, Konane had pulled Ares into his lap, cradling his head to his chest. I’d never seen him cry before that day, much less the way he was then. But his brother had been ripped away from him.

“Konane was never the same. His previous happy-go-lucky personality was replaced with a depressed, broken shell. He became unbalanced, like a cat without whiskers. Konane walked through each day like a ghost; alive but not truly among the living. His long, bright swath of hair- which had once been the boys greatest source of pride- was shaved off in mourning.

“He died a few weeks later. A few witnesses to his death say he practically threw himself on the enemy’s sword.” My heart twisted and constricted, the loss raw and hot in my chest. “Some of those above me tried to rule it a suicide, but I wouldn’t stand for it. I wouldn’t allow his honor to be tarnished like that.

“So I fought tooth and nail against them, proving that both Konane and Ares gave their lives honorably defending the Night Court and the human realms.

“Both brothers were buried with full honors, and I visit their graves every year on their birthday. They would have been three-hundred and sixty-two.” The woman reached out, gently patting my clenched fist.

“But that still doesn’t answer my question,” chimed the lovely barkeep, her eyes swimming with sympathy and an underlying current of curiosity. “What’s the scar on your brow from?”

I’d intentionally left that part out. Every time I so much as thought about it, it felt like my insides were being ripped to shreds.

I reached up, fingering the thin white line marring my right brow. “The day Konane died, we were fighting on opposite ends of the front lines. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but a sudden, sharp pain twisted in my chest, and I faltered as I attempted to parry an enemy’s blow. I let my guard down, and he swung again. If I hadn’t doubled over in agony, this-“ I touched the scar- “would’ve been through my chest.”

“So… You had bonded with them in some way?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” The twins had practically been like my own sons. I took their losses harder than those of any of my brothers. I would forever hate myself for allowing them to perish under my watch.

I downed the rest of my shitty ale, slamming a few coppers onto the slimy bar top. “Keep the change. I’ll be back next year.”


End file.
